# Good Friends, AI and a Twitter Blue Opinion - Issue 41

*Don't underestimate the importance of family and friends*

By [Dave Swinbank - a blog about me, web3, my insights, opinions and thoughts.](https://paragraph.com/@davc_s) · 2023-04-21

davc_s, blog, blogging, twitter, twitterblue, ai, artificialintelligence, paragraph, family, friends

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Today's blog will be another short-ish one. I haven't been able to get too much stuff done other than cleaning and packing in the last few weeks. I am going to talk about my 30K Giveaway, why I think Twitter Blue is better for Twitter's users than the old verified badge (even if it does come with concerns), AI in Paragraph and the importance of having good friends!

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/d4e6c4b7764dd1bd80c5ff28e57fce8b.jpg)

Loki in a wastepaper basket (bin). For more animals in bins keep reading!

My 30K Twitter Follower Giveaway is coming. I will be starting it in the next week or so, but I do need to get this weekend out of the way before I can start my final planning. If you would like to be included in this then reach out to me and let me know. I offered it to my NFT holders first. It is first come, first serve. The 15K one I hosted went incredibly well as you can see from the Twitter thread below.

You will need to supply the NFT to be given away, I only ask for follows and RT's on giveaways (you've all seen my giveaways surely) and provide an alternative text description for the image. The aim is to get eyes on your work, increase your follower count and provide a platform for networking with some new people. Feel free to as if you have any questions.

[![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1521952151404265472/UaqX-KqN_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/Davc_s)

[Dave Swinbank](https://twitter.com/Davc_s)

[@Davc\_s](https://twitter.com/Davc_s)

[![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/Davc_s/status/1514028189768683524)

A thread with a breakdown - of sorts ![💯](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f4af.png)![🔥](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f525.png)![💚](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f49a.png)  
  
60 giveaways, three threads, 5 days ![🥳](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f973.png)![🥳](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f973.png)![🥳](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f973.png)  
  
Day 1 ask if anyone wants to help me with a giveaway to celebrate 15K followers.  
  
Get a better response than expected. Give people overnight to message me. Get a lot of messages ![😅](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f605.png)![💚](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f49a.png)

 [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 47](https://twitter.com/Davc_s/status/1514028189768683524)[

0:50 • 13 Apr 2022

](https://twitter.com/Davc_s/status/1514028189768683524)

I know you may disagree with me on this and that's OK. We are allowed to have different opinions and this is definitely an opinion piece. I will start with this, no model or platform that promotes or supports news will ever be perfect. Personal bias is always a thing no matter how hard we try to be balanced. It comes across in body language and tone, even when the language used isn't biased. Legacy Twitter Blue badges are gone, thankfully. That model pushed and subscribed to so much that is wrong with our society.

You had to apply, you had to meet certain criteria (you were given guidelines, not specifics), the decision on your worthiness was decided by some randoms in a room, based on an internet search around notoriety. To say nothing about all the back door ways in. Why else would people have been offering guaranteed Twitter Blue badges for $1,000's... The old way was so against my personal values I didn't apply (as much as I was about to go through the process and share my journey before the changes were made). Twitter elevated people that it thought was worthy and made deliberate choices not to elevate others, with no accountability or clearly defined process for it's users.

Whilst a pay barrier will cause a different set of problems, from my perspective it fixes far more than it causes. It doesn't stop people using Twitter, even if will eventually 'de-boost' those not paying. From my perspective the media have perpetuated misinformation and really doubled down on fear and greed news, and it's getting worse. That media were given an exclusive membership that elevated their position of trust within society by a platform that didn't tell us the how, when, where or why of it and the devil is always in the detail...

Maybe this leads to a more accurate platform, maybe it doesn't. Truth is subjective all the time, and individually relevant, therefore accuracy is dependant on how you see your truth. Maybe this is the education the world needs, the lesson needed to learn how to fact find and formulate opinions rather than accept whatever corporations, governments, mainstream media or anyone else decides to tell us.

[![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1521952151404265472/UaqX-KqN_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/Davc_s)

[Dave Swinbank](https://twitter.com/Davc_s)

[@Davc\_s](https://twitter.com/Davc_s)

[![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/Davc_s/status/1647607338235310083)

Here’s a philosophical one for you ![👀](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f440.png)![💚](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f49a.png)  
  
What’s more important, your truth or the truth? Can you tell the difference? If there is a difference ![🤷🏼‍♂️](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f937-1f3fc-200d-2642-fe0f.png)![💚](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f49a.png)  
  
If you say your truth, there’s a question you should ask. Is your truth more important than someone else’s truth? If so, why ![🙏](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f64f.png)![💚](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f49a.png)

 [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 25](https://twitter.com/Davc_s/status/1647607338235310083)[

15:26 • 16 Apr 2023

](https://twitter.com/Davc_s/status/1647607338235310083)

AI is a thing in Paragraph now, I could use the Chat GPT functionality on here to write my blogs, I don't. I write them by hand (or on a keyboard). It is time consuming and each blog is anywhere between a 2-5 hour process. First draft, second draft, maybe a third draft, two lots of editing, adding images etc., making sure it is cohesive and there aren't too many comma's or repeated words. This isn't the whole process and most weeks it takes around 2.5 hours. I wouldn't change my process, this is a blog (possibly my Crypto/NFT Journal) not a newsletter. And if I ever use AI to write, or help write something, then I will be upfront about it.

For numerous reasons I think that AI should be watermarked and we should be encouraging ourselves and each other to ask questions. For all the excitement there are some insane risks that we can comprehend, let alone the ones we can't! Let me be clear, AI is out the box and it ain't going back in. Too much is open sourced and too many people have played. For all my questions, I am not sure there has ever been a more exciting time to be alive.

It's interesting that the reports are saying it is the 'highest skilled' jobs that will be most at risk. Accountants, Analysts, Artists, Consultants, Editing, Lawyers, Proof Reading, Researchers and Writers are some of the jobs most at risk, which makes a lot of sense to me. If you work in one of these fields, there is no better time to start experimenting with and utilising AI. I love the debate more than anything else and whatever humanity decides, there will be unforeseen and unpredictable outcomes. After all, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/b87899fd74efbc38fad7842e2551e19e.jpg)

This is my stepdad's Koi in a pool (make shift pond, not really a bin) and getting them organised has been one of the bigger stresses.

I cannot undersell the importance of having good friends and a supportive family. A lot of this comes from being a good friend and a supportive family member. I am incredibly lucky that I have been able to build some really solid relationships. Some of which have been tested due to the recent situation but not broken. If anything, those tests have made my relationships stronger, or shown me where to focus.

If it wasn't for three or four friends I could be in a very different personal situation now. And whilst I have offered a lot of support to my stepdad, there has been a benefit to me to staying and supporting during this move. Don't ever underestimate the importance of your personal relationships.

Now my stepdads move is done, I can focus on getting myself some more permanent accommodation even if it isn't a pressing concern. This will mean more travelling and some limitations on my free time, but I expect to be much more active over the coming weeks, time will tell if it works out that way. I may even be able to find time for a round of golf!

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/797e963d29b2215f64549264ce2e56a0.jpg)

I promised, and here it is. Keisa in a wastepaper basket (bin). I wont be spending as much time with these guys now they have moved with my stepdad.

Thank you to everyone who has advocated for me, stuck by me and supported me over the last few months. It means a lot, as does this. I have seen you can 'buy' my blog on paragraph and a couple of people have! That's another thank you and when I know what it means I will celebrate on Twitter.

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Have a fantastic weekend, do something with family or friends, I will be. Until next Friday, take care, be the best version of you that you can be and smile!

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*Originally published on [Dave Swinbank - a blog about me, web3, my insights, opinions and thoughts.](https://paragraph.com/@davc_s/good-friends,-ai-and-a-twitter-blue-opinion-issue-41)*
